Gtcotr/ws121912
Luke 1
39 ¶ Now Mary arose in those
days and went into the hill country with haste, to a city of Judah,
40 and entered the house of
Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth.
41 And it happened, when
Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, that the babe leaped in her womb; and
Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.
42 Then she spoke out with a
loud voice and said, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is
the fruit of your womb!
43 "But why is
this granted to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
44 "For indeed, as soon
as the voice of your greeting sounded in my ears, the babe leaped in my womb
for joy.
Life Lesson #1
Some
things can only be done now
· Would not have
worked to have waited
· The Word to
Zacharias was that the baby would be filled with the Holy Spirit in the womb …
that has a limited time frame.
· Opportunities may
abound but they are only opportunities – we can meet them or mess them up.
· Jesus told Judas,
that which you are going to do, do now!
· There is a time for
everything and God makes all things beautiful in His time.
45 "Blessed is
she who believed, for there will be a fulfillment of those things which were
told her from the Lord."
46 And Mary said: "My
soul magnifies the Lord,
47 And my spirit has rejoiced
in God my Savior.
Life Lesson#2
We may not
be able to embrace the blessing unless we are willing accept the burden
· Mary was blessed
indeed but also
o pregnant out of
wedlock
o inspired to take a
200 mile round trip walk during the first three months
o forced to take
another 100 mile trip at 7 to 9 months pregnant
o left out in the cold
to bear her baby in a stable cave
o made her escape to
save her child by way of a long journey to a foreign country
o ponder/wonder with
concern in her heart for over 30 years about what had happened and was
happening in her life
o watch her firstborn
be accused of blasphemy in a national trial and endure his torture, sentencing
and execution
o all before getting
to the resurrection and Pentecost after which began the growth along with the
persecution of the Church
· Mary was blessed –
truly blessed to be a part of the plan of God, and so are we.
o I feel certain that
if you ask her today that she wouldn’t change a thing … that might not have
been the story had asked her in the middle of her moment
Life Lesson #3
48 For He has regarded
the lowly state of His maidservant; For behold, henceforth all generations will
call me blessed.
49 For He who is mighty
has done great things for me, And holy is His name.
50 And His mercy is
on those who fear Him From generation to generation.
51 He has shown strength
with His arm; He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their
hearts.
52 He has put down the
mighty from their thrones, And exalted the lowly.
53 He has filled the
hungry with good things, And the rich He has sent away empty.
God loves
the humble heart
· Those who refuse to
feel
o better than their
parents
o brighter than their
teachers
o bigger than their
God
o a superiority
complex
· Proverbs 6:16ff puts
a proud look at the top of the list of abominations in the eyes of God
· Philippians 2:5 Let this mind be in you which was also in
Christ Jesus
· Self righteous
superiority complex with delusions of grandeur
Luke
18
10 "Two men went up to the temple to pray,
one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.
11 "The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with
himself, ’God, I thank You that I am not like other
men — extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax
collector.
12 ’I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all
that I possess.’
13 "And the tax collector, standing afar
off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast,
saying, ’God, be merciful to me a sinner!’
14 "I tell you, this man went down to his
house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself
will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."
Life Lesson #4
Luke 1
54 He has helped His
servant Israel, In remembrance of His mercy,
55 As He spoke to our
fathers, To Abraham and to his seed forever."
Have
patience with God – His job might not be so easy
· He will get it done
but He may need a little cooperation from you
· Jonah’s resistance
to helping God made the job more difficult for the both of them
· God told Moses that
the Children of Israel had aggravated Him ten times and that He was fed up with
trying to gain their cooperation.
· Numbers 23:19 …
56 And Mary remained with her
about three months, and returned to her house.
